Container closure



Jan.11,1938. EMQENKUR ETAL 2,105,031

CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed June 22, 1933 2 sheets-sheet 1 V -lllllllllllllllllhh 3mm/view Jan. 11, 1938. E. M. ENKUR ET AL CONTAINER CLOSURE Filed June 22,' 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7` Z7 mmllllllllllllll Patented Jan. 11, 193s e UNITED STATES CONTAINER CLOSURE Edward M. Enkur and Baltimore, Md., assigne mpany, Inc.,

of New York Baltimor Ralph E. Greenholtz, rs to Crown Cork & Seal e, Md., a corporation Application June 22, 1933, Serial No. 677,156

1 Claim.

o new and useful imosures. More particu- -piece closure, including specic features of the method of assembling a This invention relates t provements in container cl larly, it relates to a two a liner plate; to certain I liner plate; and to a new two-part closure cap.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a liner plate for a closure which will not become accidentally displaced from the threaded sleeve of the closure prior to its application to a bottle or jar.

Liner plates of the typ the present time comp provided with a seali dersurface adapted t a receptacle.

e commonly employed at rise a disc of sheet metal ng ring or gasket on its uno make a hermetic seal with Such liner plates are used either with a complete closure of the continuous thread type, or withva clamping ring or sleeve, for Mason jars or the like. When the clamping sleeve is used, the body of the liner plate acts as the top of the cap, but when a complete continuous thread cap is used with the liner plate, the plate merely functions as a gasket.

In either case, great inconvenience and difficulty is encountered, both at the factory where the caps are produced, and at the packing plant re the caps are used", by reason of the fact that the liner plates, during handling and shipment, become displaced from `the clamping sleeves or threaded caps In establishments where many thousands of caps per day are used, it has been found necessary to employ workers who do nothing but re-insert liner plates which have become accidentally displaced from their associated clamping means This difficulty is not only an. inconvenience to the manufacturer and packer of the caps, but it has been found to be a great drawback to users, since it slows down production and necessitates special and undesirable handling of the caps before they can be used.

Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to produce a liner plate which cooperates with a threaded sleeve in a novel manner to prevent accidental displacement of the parts.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a liner plate which may readily be removed from its associated clamping means by relative rotation between the parts in an unscrewing direction. This feature is of special advantage because it is often desired to remove the clamping sleeve from a sealed jar without removing the liner plate from its sealing relation to the jar. With conventional caps of the general class to which the present invention relates, a clamping ring may be unscrewed from the Jar, but the stantially identical, and the clamping a outwardly to engage the liner plate will be retained thereon under the inuence of the partial vacuum Within the jar. The plate may lthen be removed by inserting a knife blade, or other instrument, under the edge thereof to break the vacuum seal. With the 5 present invention, the mod e of operation is submeans may plate withner and the be unscrewed from the jar and liner out disturbing the seal between the li Jar.

The invention comprises certain generic features relating to both the article and to the method of assembling the same. Furthermore, it comprises certain specific forms of article which have been found desirable.

Broadly considered, the invention embodies the idea ofproviding the edge of a liner plate with a plurality of outwardly projecting cut-away tongues which are adapted to engage the continuous thread on the clamping sleeve, to prevent accidental displacement of the parts. In the specific forms of the invention illustrated in theY accompanying drawings, the lugs or tongues are formed by cutting slits in a depending marginal ange of the liner plate, and by bending adja- 25 cent portions of the ange outwardly. In one form, four or more equally spaced slits are provided, and the mater'al of the flange on one or both sides of each slit is bent outwardly to form lugs. In a second form of the invention, a plu- 30 rality of pairs of slits are formed in the ange at equally spaced points, and the material of the flange between the slits of each pair is projected continuous thread of the clamping sleeve. In each case, the outwardly projecting tongue or lug is relatively short, circumferentially of the cap and therefore is readily received between the threads of the sleeve, so that the plate can be removed by relative unscrewing of the parts. 40

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of liner plate according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side, elevational view of the same.

Figure 3 is a transverse, sectional view showing the plate assembled in a clamping sleeve.

Figure 4 is a bottom, plan view of the assembly of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged, perspective view of the lug of this form ofthe invention.

Figure 6 is a similar view of a slightly modied form. Y

Figure 7 is a verticalf sectio assembly of Figures 3 and 4 in a receptacle.

nal view of the sealing relation to Figure 8 is a top, plan view of a second form of liner plate, before the same is inserted in a clamping sleeve or closure cap.

Figure 9 is a side, elevational view of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a vertical, sectional view of the second form of liner plate, assembled inside of a clamping sleeve.

Figure 11 is a bottom, plan view of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is an enlarged, sectional, detailed view of one of the lugs of Figure 8.

Figure 13 is an enlarged, perspective view of the tongue or lug in the position after the plate has been inserted in a sleeve.

Figure 14 is an enlarged, vertical, sectional view of the assembly of Figures 10 and 11, in sealing relation on a receptacle.

The linerplate of the present invention comprises a disc I having a central depressed portion I6, a sealing groove I1, a down-turned flange I8, and a sealing ring or gasket I 9 disposed in the groove. The liner plateis adapted to be clamped upon a receptacle by means of a threaded clamping ring 20. Such a ring is disclosed in the drawings and comprises a cylindrical, sleeve-like portion having an inwardly projecting continuous.

thread 2l, and, at its upper end, an inwardly projecting ange 22 adapted to act as a seat for the disc I5. When the disc is inserted in the sleeve and the sleeve applied to a receptacle 23, engagement between the thread 2'I of the sleeve and the thread 25 of the receptacle serves to draw the liner plate into sealing relation to the jar through pressure applied thereto by the seat or flange 22.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figures 1 to 7, the flange I8 is provided with a plurality of slits 26 extending upwardly from the bottom edge of -the same. fIhe material of the flange adjacent each slit 26, and on one side thereof, is bent outwardly, as at 21, to project beyond the circumferential edge of the disc as a whole. Although it is preferred to bend the material of the flange outwardly on only one side of each slit, it may be furtheridesirable in certain cases to make the lug somewhat longer and, if so, the flange may be bent outwardly on both sides of each slit, as shown in Figure 6.

When the lower edge of the ange is turned upwardly and outwardly as disclosed in Figures 1 and 5 of the drawings, it may be disposed on a helical line, corresponding generally to the helix y of the thread 2|.

' To assemble the liner plate of Figures 1, 2, and 5 within the sleeve of Figures 3, 4 and '7, it is only necessary to force the plate inwardly toward the flange 22, and snap the lugs 21 past the continuous thread 2 I. Because of the inherently resilient nature of the sheet metal from which the liner plate is made, the lugs after passing the thread will spring back to substantially their initial position, and consequently they will overlie the thread 2I and prevent accidental displacement of the liner plate from the sleeve. It will be apparent, however, that the plate may be removed by relative rotation between the sleeve and plate in an unscrewing direction. In such a case, the lugs follow the continuous thread and move outwardly toward the open end of the sleeve.

In the second form of the invention, a somewhat diierent structure is provided, the method of manufacture is different. and the method of assembly varies somewhat. However, both forms have certain generic features in common.

.. Referring to Figure 8, a liner disc is provided having the same general characteristics as the jecting tongues or lugs.

iirst form, and differing therefrom only in the formation of the ange I8 and the outwardly pro- In the second form, the marginal portion of the disc is provided, during the manufacturing process, with a plurality of pairs of spaced slits 26', and the marginal portion is then turned downwardly to form the ange entirely around the disc, except -at the spaces between the slits of each pair. At these latter points, the material is left extending outwardly in substantially the plane of the marginal portion of the disc, to form tongues 21'. A'I'he outer edges of the tongues 21 lie in a circle of greater diameter than the diameter of the inner edge of the continuous thread 2| of the clamping sleeve.

When the disc of Figure 8 is forced into the clamping ring with which it is associated, the tongues 21 are bent downwardly and inwardly from their initial horizontal position, and are snapped past the thread 2l. The resilience of the sheet metal from which the liner plate is made causes the tongues 21' to spring outwardly somewhat as soon as 'the discl has passed the thread. Thus, the tongues spring outwardly into a position in which their ends overlie the inner edge of the thread, and4 accidental displacement of the liner disc is eiectually prevented. The tongues will not spring back all the way to their original position, because they will be distorted and bent during the assembling operation, but they will spring outwardly enough to perform the desired function.

The liner disc of the second form of the invention may be separated from the clamping ring in substantially the same manner as the first form. When the sleeve is rotated in an unscrewing direction relative to the disc, the tongues or lugs will follow the thread and the parts will be disengaged.

Although in the accompanying drawings and in the above description a clamping sleeve has been shown and described, it will be understood that the liner plate of the present invention may be used with` a complete continuous thread cap with identical advantages. Consequently, where a clamping sleeve has been referred to, in the claim and description, it will be Aunderstood that the term includes a cap comprising a top and a threaded skirt.

Many modifications of the generic idea disclosed in this specification will readily occur to those skilled in the art and all such modicationsv as are included within the accompanying claim, and its equivalent, are to be considered within the scope of the present invention.

We claim:

In combination, a hner plate and a clamping sleeve having an inwardly projecting continuous thread and an inwardly projecting clamping seat at the upper end thereof, said-plate comprising a disc-like body, a down-turned circumferentially discontinuous marginal flange, and an. annular sea-ling gasket secured to the undersurface of the body adjacent the flange in position to cooperate with the mouth of the receptacle to be sealed, said flange of saidplate being provided with a plurality of spaced slits extending'from the lower edge thereof upwardly substantially to the plane of the body to provide a plurality of disconnected flange sections,l the material of the ange at one side of each slit and including one edge of the slit being projected outwardly beyond the line of the intermediate portion of the flange to cause the edges thereof to lie on a circle of substantially greater diameter than the diameter of thread, but short of contact; with the inner` priphery of the sleeve or the root of the thread.

whereby said plate and sleeve can be separated only by relative rotation in an unscrewingdlrection to permit said projections to follow said thread and thereby be disengaged from said sleeve.

EDWARDM. RALPH E. GREENHOL'IZ. 

